Zebra Coloration

[IA Monsterbuck]

Need some insight from the AH experts.

One of the animals on my wish list is zebra. I just find them an amazingly beautiful animal and the stark contrast of the black and white striping is stunning.

Sooo, I went to a local taxidermist over the weekend to see some mounts he is working on. He has a great reputation for doing very nice work although I have not used him personally yet. Among the mounts were two zebra pedestal mounts he had on forms but had not finished yet.

What stood out to me was that the zebra were really more black and tan than black and white. Definitely did not have that high contrast look that really makes zebra pop.

I asked the taxidermist about the color and how he got them white. He told me that the coloration of zebra is dependent on where you hunt and the color of zebra they have in that area. That if you want a white zebra you have to hunt in a place that has white zebra.

Anyway, I am curious if this is accurate. Are the zebras that I see in pictures of mounts on here just naturally white or are they whitened or painted to give that nice white color?

Honestly I will take zebra off my list if the skins aren't going to be a good contrasting white and black.

 

[BRICKBURN]

 

[BRICKBURN]

Poor processing can cause discoloration and fading.

 

[mdwest]

Most of the zebras we saw in Limpopo had a significant amount of brown shades in the coat.. (Burchell)...

I had a similar expectation to you and thought there would be a more defined white-black contrast.. and was surprised to see how much brown was actually in the coat..

My surprise was a pleasant one though.. I thought this one my wife took is exceptionally beautiful..

 

[IA Monsterbuck]

Most of the zebras we saw in Limpopo had a significant amount of brown shades in the coat.. (Burchell)...

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I had a similar expectation to you and thought there would be a more defined white-black contrast.. and was surprised to see how much brown was actually in the coat..

My surprise was a pleasant one though.. I thought this one my wife took is exceptionally beautiful..

Did you get your rug or mount back yet? Interested in seeing pics.

 

[SWARA]

There are 3 species of Zebra; Burchal, Grieves and Mountain.
The Zebra you would have seen at the Taxidermist is likely to have been Burchal zebra (common Zebra).
They Burchal are different in coloration dependent on where they are hunted. The Southern Africa Burchal has what is called a shadow stripe; that is the brown you are seeing between the black stripes.
The East African Burchal Do Not have the shadow stripe and are pure black and white you are referring to. Its a simple as that...

 

[mdwest]

Did you get your rug or mount back yet? Interested in seeing pics.

We just finished our hunt in June.. We still have a long wait ahead of us for our rug I am afraid...

 

[billc]

here are 4 different burchal zebra we have taken. All different but all black/white when done. I have seen zebra that had rolled in dirt to dust themselves and they look dirty but they are still black and white. The burchal has the shadow stripes and some are darker then others also. I myself have not shot one that was real dirty to start with and maybe the dirt does not come out so easy or causes some discolor on the hide. I am sure you will find a zebra that will match what you looking for.

Here are two mtn zebra and they are both very black/white also. They had more dirt on them from dusting themselves but when skinning them and washing them off they did come pretty clean I would say.

 

[thi9elsp]

@IA Monsterbuck There are quite a few 'sub-species' if I have my terminology correct. I was in Niassa, Mozambique this past fall and made sure that Grant's Zebra was available as they are one that has the pure white and no shadow stripes. I think they may also be referred to as Selous Zebra but not sure if they are the same or different. I have a hunt report posted on AH with a picture of mine.

If you do a search you will find pictures of the different types. It seems to me it is more common to have the shadow stripes that to not have them. Also, I was surprised to learn several years ago that some have more brown coloring in them vs. pure black. One could hunt the different sub-species and have quite a nice collection showing the different coloration.

 

[IA Monsterbuck]

here are 4 different burchal zebra we have taken. All different but all black/white when done. I have seen zebra that had rolled in dirt to dust themselves and they look dirty but they are still black and white. The burchal has the shadow stripes and some are darker then others also. I myself have not shot one that was real dirty to start with and maybe the dirt does not come out so easy or causes some discolor on the hide. I am sure you will find a zebra that will match what you looking for.
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Here are two mtn zebra and they are both very black/white also. They had more dirt on them from dusting themselves but when skinning them and washing them off they did come pretty clean I would say.


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Thank you. I think you get what I am asking about. I understand the difference markings for subspecies and I understand shadow stripes my concern was that the white part was more of a light tan than a white. My first thought was that it was dirty and that a cleaning process would restore it to a white color but when the taxi said that was the color it would be I was quite surprised. I would definitely not be happy with a skin that color.

 

[SWARA]

@IA, I used to Cull Zebra some years back in East Africa. I would shoot up to 2000 Zebra a year (sometimes more) and the sale of raw salted skins what my main income, so I used to ensure the skins were looked after and handled well by my team.
What I can say is that when we would shoot zebra that were living in red soil areas, we would find that the white part had gone a reddish brown.
As soon as those zebras were skinned we would wash the fur side with lots of water, Omo and a stiff brush in that case the brown would come off the skin, then they would be salted. If brown stain was left on the skin and not washed we found that after being salted and dried it would be impossible to remove the brown.
Good luck.

 

[neckdeep]

I have heard of the Chapmann's and Boehm's variety both in Mozambique, both are more black and white with less shadow stripe.

 

[Pheroze]

Here is my zebra from South Africa. When I shot him I saw three stripes: black, white and a gray/brown shadow stripe. I think his colour is fairly well preserved as I recall him. I think the shadow stripe adds character.

 

[Bob Nelson 35Whelen]

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@BRICKBURN
There's something about the shadow stripes on the plains zebra that I like.
Bob